


Just Friends

by secretsongdeer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A bit of snogging, A little bit of burn, But fun, Christmas, Christmas fic, F/M, Fluff, Gen, I think?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsongdeer/pseuds/secretsongdeer
Summary: There was just James, the tingles on her skin from where his hands touched her, and the bloody butterflies in her stomach.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 26
Collections: Potterverse Gift Exchange





	Just Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writtenbyfreckles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writtenbyfreckles/gifts).



> Firstly Congratulations on telling the parents!!!! Hope you had the best Christmas. Ilysm and I don't know what else to say. Hope you like it Katie. xxx
> 
> For siriuslychessi's Potterverse gift exchange.  
> Thank you so much for organising this Chessi. xxx

Merry Christmas Katie!!! I have to say writing this has been very terrifying for me and I am very nervous about it. I am not very good at fluff but am so very thankful I got you to give this to. I figured you like slow-burn as you write a lot of it 👀👀. This is as much burn I could get into a one-shot. Merry Christmas again!!!!

* * *

Hogwarts castle was it’s most colorful during Christmas. With Christmas trees lining the sides of the Great Hall, colorful ornaments adorning every inch of them. And mistletoe hung in the corridors, trapping innocent students. Every year, the Christmas feast was a sight to behold. The house-elves would make dishes that had the mouth of the students who remained water.

The occasional times when there was snow, there would be snowball fights where the inter-house rivalries would be forgotten (mostly). Christmas was a time to celebrate in Hogwarts.

* * *

Lily laughed again glancing around their little circle at each of them in turn. Sirius was retelling an encounter with Filch they had when they were in the middle of a prank. Remus was sitting cross-legged with a bar of chocolate from the stash James gave him for one of his gifts, in his hand. Mary was laughing so hard that there were tears in her eyes. Marlene was “ooh-ing and ahh-ing” at all the right places (definitely giving Sirius’ ego a boost- as he needed it.) Peter was adding to Sirius’ story with a proud smile on his face. 

James was looking at everyone in the circle, seeming content to spend time there with all of his friends. He looked at her and held contact until she broke away with a light pink blush staining her cheeks from the intense stare he gave her.

They were _friends_. That’s it. She already crossed the line when she kissed him on the cheek when she saw what he gifted her. (Honeydukes’ finest chocolate stash and “ _Defensive Spells Against Dark Creatures_ ” by “ _Alfred Thimble_ ”) It wasn’t her fault her lips missed and went to the corner of his mouth. She shouldn’t blush at the look he gave her. Damn her redhead personality and her pale skin complexion. He no longer thought the same about her, and she shouldn’t expect him to. Although she couldn’t help that little seed of hope which was planted in her when he blushed when she kissed him. Neither did his dumbfounded face after that. 

She tried to focus on what Sirius was telling instead of the feeling of James’ eyes on her. He shouldn’t be allowed to look at her like _that_. Did it suddenly grow hot in here? She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. She looked at Marlene who was giving her a knowing look. She blushed and looked away.

* * *

They were _friends._ That’s it. All of his efforts had led to that. He wasn’t going to mess up his _one single_ chance with her just because she blushed when he looked at her. Sure he had put in more effort than he would have if it was any other person. But this wasn’t _any other person._ This was _Lily_. She deserved absolutely nothing but _the best_ and he was going to give it to her. As a friend or as somebody who knew her well. As somebody who had all her little quirks memorized. As somebody who wished nothing but happiness for her. He was going to give her the best, in everything - _anything_. 

He was going to be one of the best friends she ever had. He wasn’t trying to remove Marlene or Mary from her life. He wanted to be someone who she would remember when she was sad, making her smile. He wanted her to miss him. He wanted to make her skin crinkle at the corner of her eyes, her lips quirk up and her eyes shine with happiness. He just wanted her to be happy.

But he wasn’t going to push her into something she made very clear that she didn’t want. He wasn’t going to destroy their new friendship for something he wasn’t even sure might happen. He was going to be exactly what she asked him to be. _Just a friend_.

* * *

_Eyes away_. 

She dragged her eyes away from him. Or tried to at least. It was just so damn hard to. The way his eyes glowed, the gold shining amongst the greens and browns was captivating. It was pulling her in like a magnet. Her walls of resistance crumbled down at the looks he gave her. Like she was some goddess, reverent and respectful. She tried not to imagine what his touch would make her do if just his looks and smiles were cutting her into pieces. 

_She loved him_. She realized with a jolt. She loved how he put his friends before him. She loved his unwavering loyalty to all those he held dear. She loved how he grew up, how he stopped hexing people for the fun of it. She loved how he was impulsive. She loved how he didn’t miss a beat to defend the younger students. She loved how he made sure his parents were doing well, no matter how late it was. She loved how he made time for all the little things in his life. She loved how he never failed to go on his morning run. She loved what he, what _they_ did for Remus. She loved how he didn’t fail to accept his friends as who they were. 

She loved everything about him. _James_ , with his crooked smile, and those shiny eyes, those messy dark curls which framed his head, and just _him_. But they wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ be. They were _just friends_. 

She didn’t realize how much time she’d been staring at James until she was snapped out of her recent realization by fingers waving in front of her face. She blinked out her glazed eyes and stared at the offending fingers which seemed to belong to Mary. It wasn’t after she saw that everyone was silent and that they were all staring at her, that she snapped out of it.

“Huh?” she questioned trying to keep that goddamn blush out of her face, “Did you ask me something?”.

“Yes,” Sirius said slowly as though she would bite him “Prongs just asked if you were going to join him on rounds?” his eyes were measuring her reaction.

“Yes!” she was speaking quickly “Yeah, I’m coming.”

“Are you okay Lily,” Marlene asked her with a concerned, slightly curious expression “You seem a bit out of it?”

“No, I’m- I’m fine” she shook her head “Just thinking that’s all, about everything”. 

And she wasn’t lying, James was her everything. He held her when her father died. He was the one who skipped classes (despite her telling him not to) when she was sick. (The girls and other people were there for her too and she loved them for it, but just not the way she loved him) He was there for her, _all the time_. Along with the girls, he held her firmly rooted to the ground. He was another person who made her happy. And he would always remain one. 

“Sorry,” she shook her head again “Okay, I think we should go now, James?”. She asked him rising up.

“Yeah,” he was giving her a curious look “Let’s go.”

* * *

He rose up from the floor and waved to their friends and made way to the portrait hole. He stood there waiting for her and opened the door to the entrance for her. “My lady,”

“You don’t have to do it all the time James,” she told him as he climbed out of the hole “I can do it you know?”

“Yeah, but my mother didn’t raise me up like that,” he took her hand in his, and swung their both hands together, “She’d probably send me a howler.” He smirked. And started humming a tune that sounded like “ _God rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs_ ”. 

_God_! Can he stop smirking, it was turning her into jelly. 

“So,” he asked her curiously “What exactly were you thinking about earlier?”.

“Uh,” her cheeks were stained pink “I told you, just- everything.” she prayed that he wouldn’t ask her anything more, although she knew it wouldn’t happen that way. James didn’t let anything go. It wasn’t what he did. 

“What comes under everything?” he was looking at the side of her face, “You don’t have to answer it, I’m just curious that’s all.” She could hear the sincerity in his words. 

“No, It’s- It’s fine,” she assured him “The thing with Voldermort, NEWT’s, you all, and Tuney, my future and all that.”

“Oh!” He tried not to show how happy he was when she mentioned him. It wasn’t only him, but at least he counted as something for her “You know we’ll all be there for you, right Lily?”

His eyes shone with truth and promise.

“Yeah,” Her voice trembled a bit, and her eyes reflected her gratitude “Yeah- I do.”

She wrapped her arms around him without warning. She didn’t need to say anything. She knew he understood. He hugged her back immediately, giving her no time to doubt her decision. She reveled in the feeling of his arms surrounding her. It made her feel like another home _._ And that was something she didn’t feel before with him. She couldn’t let this happen. Sure, friends hugged- but not for this long. She removed her arms from around him.

He wished he had a Pensieve to capture this moment so he could keep it forever. But, just like when she hugged him- suddenly, she pulled away too. He tried not to feel that loss of warmth as her arms returned limply to her sides. 

She coughed slightly in an attempt to diffuse the tension, it didn’t work too well. “Shall we go?” She wasn’t meeting his eyes. “We still have three floors to finish.”

“Yeah,” He tried to catch her eye, but she wasn’t looking at him. _Merlin!_ did that woman frustrate the hell out of him. Friends hug! Don’t they? Then why the hell was she making such a big deal of it. At least, that was what he thought was bothering her. But how would he know if she didn’t tell him? 

He didn’t take her hand again. Neither did she.

They walked for a bit, when he felt her tense suddenly next to him, and looked to see her staring at something on her right. Great, _just bloody great_ . It was already awkward and a Snape into the mix. Awesome, _fucking awesome_. He decided that it would be best if he started the conversation.

“Evening Snape,” He began without a trace of anything in his eyes “Seems to be very late for a walk in the grounds, doesn’t it?”. 

That git finally saw them, and blanched when he saw Lily.

“Must say the same for you Potter,” He drawled “and you too Evans.”

“You must have forgotten that we have to patrol tonight,” She spoke with steel in her voice, “Or you would have steered clear of midnight walks Snape.”

“15 points from Slytherin for being outside the common room after curfew Snape”, He finished.

“15 points are too much and you know it Potter,” Snape was afraid of something.

“30 wasn’t too much when you caught a Gryffindor just yesterday,” He managed to sound not as angry as he was, “And now 15 are?”.

Snape visibly flushed, and made his way down to the Dungeons, his robes billowing behind him with the pace he was walking at.

Sighing, he turned to the girl beside him. He was sure she would have a disappointed expression- the one reserved specially for him, so was shocked to find her smiling slightly. 

“What?” He asked her, feeling self-conscious.

“Nothing,” she replied with a shake of her head and a smile on her lips, “Nothing James Potter, nothing.”

She walked forward with a small skip in her step as she realized (once again), how much he had grown up. In 5th year he wouldn’t have missed a chance to take off points from Slytherin for anything, and now he had taken off half of what they took off from his house. Growing up looked _good_ on him. 

James caught up to her very soon, thanks to his gigantic legs and stopped suddenly in front of her, which sent her tumbling down onto the floor. And she grabbed James’s arms for support which pulled him down too. _On top of her_. He gulped when he saw where he was, and saw her looking at him with a strange expression. She might be thinking ‘What the hell is he still doing here?’. But he found that he couldn’t move, not when he couldn’t see past her eyes. 

No, she shouldn’t lose herself. What was she doing? James, I- _love you? Found out that I don’t think of you just as a friend? Want to kiss you?_ I think you should get off me. When he showed no inclination of having heard her, she pushed him off and stood up. She looked down to James who was lying on the floor, looking confused. She gave him a hand to get up, which he took gratefully and started the patrol again.

He stood standing there as she went forward, as he registered what just happened. He was so sure she was going to the lines of ‘ _James, I love you_ ’, but then she stopped. He felt like he was missing something, but he wasn’t sure what.

“Are you coming James?,” She called out to him from the other end of the corridor. 

“Yeah,” He shook his head, she didn’t love him. She did maybe, but just as a friend. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

She waited as he caught up to her, again. He reached her and they tried to move forward but found that they couldn’t. He looked up to, and saw the mistletoe and groaned.

“What?” Merlin, he was so close to her, she could hear his heart. It was beating fast, like her own. He seemed flustered, and why did he groan like that. His voice was irresistible, but his groan sounded like heaven. She could only imagine how good it would feel in her ear with him on top of her, his sweaty body sticking close to her own, his arms on her-

“Evans, it’s mistletoe.” He said, expecting a shove or even a ‘Potter’, so was quite surprised to see her looking at him with a dazed expression. “Evans?” He said a little bit more loudly. “Oi! Evans!” He shouted, letting a bit of frustration creep into his voice.

“What?”, She blinked and tried to move back, but wasn’t allowed to step away. “What is this James?” She asked him.

“It’s mistletoe Evans!” He said. Great! Just bloody fantastic! Just when he was trying to think he would only ever be her friend, he had to go kiss her. Just his life. 

“Do we have to kiss?”, she asked him, and he could hear the nervousness and hesitancy in her voice. He knew she didn’t like him that way, but it still stung. Just like it did after every rejection from her. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to kiss him. She didn’t want to force him to kiss her. Even though he had no choice, it just didn’t sit right with her. She loved him, and if it would ever happen she wanted them to kiss because they _wanted_ to. Not because they had to. 

“Just kiss my cheek,” He sighed “I’ll do the same.”

He didn’t even want to kiss her. She wanted him to be happy that they might kiss. She wanted the James Potter who would have jumped off the Astronomy Tower to kiss her. Well, he grew up and out of it. 

Slowly, she stood on her toes (Damn his height), and pressed her lips lightly to his cheek. It didn’t go to the corner of his mouth this time. He bent down to her cheek and looking her in the eye kissed her lightly on her cheek. It wasn’t even like his lips touched her skin, but it still tingled where she felt him brush his lips against. 

She tried to step back, but wasn’t allowed to. Again. Just dammit!

“So I guess we really have to kiss, yeah?” He asked, sounding defeated. 

She gulped, “Yeah.”

She rose on her toes again and pressed her lips lightly to his. It wasn’t what she imagined it would be at all. There weren’t any fireworks, or there weren’t any Prince Charming’s. There was just James, the tingles on her skin from where his hands touched her, and the bloody butterflies in her stomach. 

Her lips were soft, bloody fantastic. They felt amazing on his own. Like that was where they were meant to be. He tried not to take her in arms and ravage her like he’d been wanting to do. This, _this_ was his every innocent teenage dream come true. Just Lily, her soft lips and the bloody butterflies in his stomach. 

She stepped away. Two more steps than before, but they didn’t even register that. He was looking at her like he wanted to consume her, like _fire_. She was looking at him with that pretty blush decorating her cheeks like she wanted to devour him, or she wanted the ground to open below her and swallow her up. He didn’t want to see that.

He leaned in suddenly, and pressed his lips to hers urgently. Like she was the one he wanted, _needed_. His arms went around her waist and pulled her flush against him. As soon as she realized what was happening, her arms flew around his neck, playing with the hairs on the base of his neckline. She felt warm tingles erupt to the tips of her toes, much more intense than the ones before. He felt light-headed. Like he was floating, drowning, and flying all at once. Their lips danced together like they had been practicing it for years. 

His tongue ran along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. He groaned out loud when her tongue met his. _Oh my Merlin!_ She pulled his upper lip and sucked tightly on it, making him groan once again. It seemed to have brought him back to his senses as he let go of his arms around her waist and stepped away. 

His eyes were downcast as he said, “I’m- I’m so sorry Lily,” He paused, and “I know you don’t like me like that at all, but I’ve never gotten over anything I felt for you, and I- I guess that kiss just sent me over the edge. But I’m so sorry, and I understand if you don’t want to be friends with me again, but I promise this won’t happen again.” 

He slowly trudged down the corridor, with his shoulders hunched and a defeated look on his face. This was James Potter. He wasn’t defeated. Ever. But he really cared about her, and- _what?_ His feelings about her never changed. From when? 

“JAMES” She called out to him. “James wait up!”.

“What did you mean when you said your feelings for me never changed?” She bit her lip and looked up at him, with an earnest expression. Like she wanted to know something. 

“Oh, come on Lily!” He just groaned, “You know that I fancy you right?”

“Fancy?” She asked him quietly “As in present tense, not _fancied_?”. 

“Yes, bloody hell Evans,” He shouted out “I still fan- oof!” She threw herself at him and he stumbled a bit before catching her, and his balance. His arms which went around her waist when he caught her, loosened a bit to show her face. She was so beautifully flushed, that he had to restrain himself from pressing her into the wall behind him and ravage her. “Evans,” He asked her, wondering if this was just a dream, “What was that for?”.

“I fancy you too you dolt!” She screamed at him. 

“Now, that’s now how I imagined you telling me that you fancy me,” He frowned, “Although the throwing yourself at me part was quite awesome.” He smirked when she blushed at that.

“I did not throw myself at you,” She was very indignant “I just happened to lose some balance, and you caught me.”

And he watched as she listed reasons why she didn’t throw herself at him, his need to feel her lips against his grew steadily. “Evans, Shut Up.” This time she stopped immediately and looked at him curiously. She didn’t get much time to look at him though, as he turned and pressed her into the wall behind them. His lips moved urgently over hers as his hands pressed themselves into the stone wall beside her head. Her lips danced with his, matching him in his passion and fervor. She lifted herself up, using his neck as support, and moaned when his hands which were rough from Quidditch, lifted her up against him. Her legs flew around his waist, and his lips left hers to drag along her cheek, her jaw, and then her neck. 

She moaned when she felt his lips and teeth (a fatal combination), sucked and nipped on her neck. She was sure that a mark would be left there. But just when she was about to use the hands folded behind his neck, to pull his head so her lips could meet his, he pulled away and said “Go out with me, Evans?” He asked her with a smirk on his face, and his fingers trailing down her cheek. “Yes Potter, I’ll go out with you.” She couldn’t keep that stupidly besotted smile off her face. 

He kissed her again. But this time it was different. Unlike the previous one, this was sweet. Simple. Their lips moved against each other slowly, like they wanted to keep this moment going forever. It was just the both of them. James and Lily. Nothing else mattered when her lips were gliding along with his. Nothing else mattered when his lips danced with hers. 

They broke apart, but their foreheads still rested against each other. His eyes were closed, savoring the moment. But hers, were open, looking at him and how content he was. Her voice broke the peaceful silence, “I love you,” she said softly. But he heard. His eyes slammed open and stared at her. “You don’t have to say it back,” she told him, “I just wanted to say it, ‘cause you know,” she was undeterred by his silence “I love you.” she finished. 

He kissed her slowly but hard. Trying to convey all the love, passion, desire, respect, admiration, and everything he held for her in his kiss. Her arms which were playing with his necktie, pulled him to her, meeting his every emotion with her own. They broke apart, and James looked her in the eye and said, “I love you too, so much more than I can ever put in words.”

He took her hand into his, and brought it to his lips, pressing them to her knuckles. He took in the pink blush which made her glow like a _goddess_ . She _loved_ him. 

She sighed- It wasn’t a sad sigh, it was a content sigh. It made him want to press his lips against hers again, and he did just that. _Merlin_ , did it feel good to kiss her when he wanted to. She giggled against his lips, and he smiled at that sound. But he still felt the need to ask her why she was giggling. “Just imagining their faces when we walk in like this.” She replied. 

True, they looked like a sight. His hair was more messy than usual from her hands. Both their cheeks were flushed. Their lips were swollen from all the snogging, and her hair was mussed up. Her curly red waves in knots from his hands. 

“We’ll have to go tell them, don’t we?” He sighed.

“Not sure how much more of a “telling” they’ll need,” She smirked, “But yeah, we do.”

They left the wall and slowly walked to the Gryffindor common room, holding each other’s hands tightly. He kissed her.

“Alright Evans?” He asked.

“Never been better Potter.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! That was something to write. I wrote most of it sitting awake during the night, because my brain decided that night is when it will work the best. Finished it at 12:50 am on 25th December. Editing done that morning. All comments are appreciated (not hate ones tho).


End file.
